verisimilitude
56. attention seeker ( emmy rossum – slow me down )
He wants to be heard. She wants to be seen.
It's the simple truth on black on white on black and white again.
He'll blow bubbles on the tips of his fingertips, forming pretty shapes that bloom and burst; she'll give people who annoy her enough static to give themselves a shock. He'll flood the bathroom; she'll cause a power cut.
They face the punishment with empty faces and dulled hearts – they have the attention, but not in the way they sought. They want gossip and giggles and rumours and pranks and teasing and all the people with friends do with each other. They want to live in the way their predecessors did, with smiles and laughter floating in the air.
Pity they never paid attention to each other, too concerned with their selves.
Because they're chasing invisible ghosts that will never be caught.
x
10. to and fro ( chicken bump – karma )
He never ran away. He always ran to.
He ran to the setting sun, never mind that a dozen villagers were hunting him down with burning candlesticks. He ran to the end of the labyrinth, racing against a ticking clock that threatened to destroy the rhythm of music. He ran to a new adventure, his hardships building his story and strength, as he remembered them with a laugh and pained look in his eye.
He didn't leave them behind… they just failed to catch up. After all, he was the current that always moved about, never ending like waves on a beach, back and forth, to and fro, they make a pretty sound as he pitter-pattered across the swirling waves.
And when he reached his destination, gasping for breath, his cheeks flushed and as he placed his hands on his knees, he saw a shadow that he knew so well, that when he looked up, a grin had found its way back on his cheerful face.
Because, no matter what happened, he always ran to Larxene.
She was his goal; and he longed to reach her.
x
63. zen master ( the offspring – (can't get my) head around you )
The first time he sees her he thinks she looks like a doll. Pretty and porcelain with glossy lips and glassy eyes, she seems to be a picture of perfection, still and unmoving. There's a sparkle in her eye, electric blue that adds to her allure, a trace of instability – but that must be a trick of the light. Her red lips are half-curled and her legs are slanted, and oh, there's a desire to put her on a shelf and never let her down.
He thinks she's calm, cool as a cucumber and a master at Zen.
He nearly goes to say 'hi' and introduce himself with a smile and point and an offered handshake, but then the meeting starts and he has to sigh and watch her out of the corner of his eye. Meetings are never meant to be actually listened to, after all.
When she opens her mouth, Demyx has no idea how wrong he is.
x
20. hello kitty ( natalia lesz – fall )
She sleeps like a kitten, curled up into a round ball, warm and soft and somehow cuddly in her slumber. Her lines of malice and spite that trace her jaws and eyes when she's awake are gone, a content smile on her face.
She snuggles, sometimes, giggling under her breath.
She doesn't purr, but if Demyx tickles a certain spot, then she certainly clings on to him tighter, her lips nearly pressing against him.
But no matter what her dream was, or the mood she had been in within her sweet slumber is always ruined when Demyx cannot help but tease her with a kiss on her pointy catlike ears and whisper. "Hello kitty."
As a reply, she narrows her eyes, and electrocutes him, murmuring dangerously, "Meow."
x
49. beep ( ayumi hamasaki – days )
Her antennas are out of this world. They twitch and point to wherever Demyx is – whenever he's in danger or if he's being mercilessly preyed upon. It annoys her because if she doesn't cooperate with their 'pushing', then they tug the root hair, eliciting gasps of pain for the Savage Nymph.
It's almost like a painful beep, as they urge her to chase the damned Nocturne and save him from whatever perilous danger he may be in.
So with her hands on her hips, she strides forward and with a bored expression on her face, she beats up the tormentor.
("He's mine, got that?")
Then she grabs his ear and drags him out of the room, where she dutifully shouts at him; and he stares with amusement or admiration. Honestly, she doesn't know what she is to him: a sister or a knight in saving armour.
And he gives her a grin and has the nerve to hug her—
"When I count to ten, you better start running." She grits out.
Then, he decides to kiss her cheek. The moron.
"That's it! You're dead!"
To hell with patience and saving the Nocturne – she's going to zap him with all she's got.
Damn antennas.
x
5. rags to riches ( yellow generation – tobira no mokou he )
There was always a scheme. A bigger picture. Trying to get from Point A to Point B, whether it was from 'rags to riches', 'heartless to with a heart' or 'Nobody to Somebody' – she was always trying to get from one place to another.
For her, life was a giant path of stepping stones, often misleading and could have various outcomes. Some were firm and easy to step on; others were slippery but still attainable. And then there were some who were absolute idiots and plunged straight into the water, soaking the person who was about to lose their temper.
And Xemnas was one such person – she had figured it out in her crafty mind. He wasn't going to give them a heart – he was going to give them damnation – and she wasn't going to stand for that. From fool to genius, it was just another path in life.
If she was going to go somewhere, heaven or hell, she preferred if she was the one who built her house of cards—waiting for the wild card to topple her to the ground.
x
71. potential ( oku hanako – garnet )
She chases butterflies to waste away time, searching for that that cannot be reached.
He chases moths in starlit cities, clinging to hope that someone – anyone – would recognise the person he used to be.
It's an unconventional circle, the day and the night, never meeting, never reaching, but it makes the time fly. They'll waltz and march and tango to this tune, to eternity if they have to, waiting for no one but time itself.
It's not much, but it's a start to find their selves, because they could be so much more.
x
99. sneakers ( ono daisuke & kamiya hiroshi – boku no subete )
There must be a reason as easy to figure out as eating a pie. The explanation must be clear and simple to understand.
But for the life of them, they can't figure it out!
And Xemnas is much displeased, while Larxene and Demyx grin – in matching colours that add that hint of glamour to their corpses.
"Demyx! Larxene!" The members roar in outrage at the sight before them. "Why the hell have you gone against the uniform?"
("They look so cool!" Roxas admires, wondering if he can get a pair.)
"Um…" Demyx blinks. "… I felt like it?"
"If it helps," Larxene adds in a scapegoat, just for enjoyment. "Marluxia was the one who convinced me that pink was totally my colour."
Xemnas sizzles.
x
34. morning dew ( amplified – mr. raindrop )
She likes to wake up late, curling up into the pillow and steal all the bed covers. She snuggles, she sighs, she shifts and shuffles and eventually kicks him off the bed – still asleep with a sly smile on her face, adorned in utter innocence that all suspicion that Demyx previously has vanishes.
And really, that's okay. He doesn't mind that because he likes getting up early and shower and just… watch her. She's like a child asleep, peaceful and cheeky with a dash of adorability. The image reminds him of nymphs, creatures of nature – vivid imagery of water and flowers coming to mind.
—it is precisely for this reason that Demyx brings flowers to her, sprinkling the morning dew on her nose to wake her up.
It makes her sneeze.